Volgograd Electrician Demanded 18,500 Rubles (≈185 USD) for Socket Replacement
A Volgograd resident avoided paying 18,500 rubles (≈185 USD) for an unnecessary replacement of electrical equipment.
In the Krasnooktyabrsky district of Volgograd, a woman contacted an electrician to replace a socket that her five-year-old child had pulled out. The arrived specialist, without inspecting the damage, proposed to replace the circuit breaker, and then caused a short circuit, after which he demanded a large sum of money.
The master aggressively demanded a large sum from the client for a repair she did not order.
«A 5-year-old child accidentally pulled out the socket. I called an electrician using the number from an advertisement in the stairwell. Over the phone, he said that the call would cost 800 rubles (≈8 USD) plus the socket itself. The master arrived, didn»t even look at the socket, and immediately started pushing the service of replacing the circuit breaker distribution box. Before my eyes, he caused a short circuit by connecting two wires, sparks flew, and the electrical line stopped working. The master said that replacing the circuit breaker would cost 3,800 rubles (≈38 USD), then he wrote up an act and started demanding 18,500 rubles (≈185 USD),« says the Volgograd resident.
The client refused to pay the specified amount, convinced that the electrician had created the breakdown intentionally.
Then the master reduced the demand to 10,000 rubles (≈100 USD), started shouting and intimidating the woman. Under pressure, she gave him 5,840 rubles (≈58 USD). Later, the Volgograd resident learned that some unscrupulous handymen use similar methods to increase the cost of work.
The electrician himself explained that shorting the wires is a standard method for checking the circuit breaker.
«This is how circuit breakers are checked. If you check with a special device, it will take a long time and be expensive, shorting the circuit is much faster, all electricians have always done it this way. They did and will do. This did not cause the breakdown, but only showed that the circuit breaker needed to be replaced. This is primarily for the safety of people,» asserts the master.
After the incident, the woman contacted the electrician, demanding a refund minus the cost of the socket and the call-out. He refused, but apologized for his behavior and offered to replace the other electrical distribution devices in her apartment for free. The Volgograd resident rejected the offer and filed a report with law enforcement, suspecting the master of fraud.
Acting head of the information and public relations department Anton Fedotov said that he does not know if an investigation is being conducted on this report.
Last spring, in the same Krasnooktyabrsky district, a 74-year-old pensioner almost paid 16,490 rubles (≈165 USD) for replacing a toilet flush button, when plumbers asked for 15,110 rubles (≈151 USD) for work and 1,380 rubles (≈14 USD) for materials.
